Monthly Archives: May 2015

I was happy to be flying back to Texas. After the cocaine incident described in Part 3 of my story, I did a lot of thinking and wondered even more about Roberto and the events surrounding my firing from the airline just before I would have gotten off probation. Dee, my flight attendant friend, had said something about Roberto and cocaine, when I asked her where she and the other flight attendants got their supply. I began to wonder if there was much more to this story. I spent the entire night awake as we were flying back to Texas, which took 10 hours.

After arriving back in Texas, a friend of mine, Carol, who was married to Fran, a pilot for the Airline, insisted that I sue the company for sexual harassment. Fran agreed and said that Roberto needed to be stopped. He had been privy to complaints on some of his flights, from Flight Attendants who were harassed by Roberto.

I went to the EEOC with my case, and they gave me the letter of permission to sue. Carol got her attorney, who was one of the best, to take my case on contingency. However, I signed a contract stating that I would pay $5,000 win or lose. I put down a deposit of $500.00.

The depositions began, and everything was going our way. It was completely evident that Roberto was lying. He couldn’t keep his story straight and when he got flustered he was difficult to understand.

John P., the pilot who was on the plane the night in question, flew in from Kansas where he lived, to be interviewed. There were two other pilots who piloted the plane that night who wanted to testify, but were discouraged by the management of the airline. Everyone was afraid for their jobs. Not one person except John P. came to my defense, not even my “friends” who had promised they would have my back if my job was threatened as had been rumored.

It was finally the night before the trial, I had not asked for a Jury, so the case would be tried before a Judge. I was told by my Attorney that this Judge was really good on sexual harassment cases. I was not suing for a lot of money, just reinstatement, back pay and compensation for emotional suffering.

The next morning, Carol and Fran were with me in court. John P. was there, he had flown in at his own expense. He had not let himself be intimidated, as the other pilots had been. Roberto and the Airline Attorneys were present, but my Attorney didn’t show up and sent his Assistant to argue the case. He arrived late, and gave no explanations for his presence there instead of my Attorney. He put me and John on the stand, and then rested the case. He didn’t call Roberto to the stand. The Judge said he had to dismiss the case because the Attorney had “rested” and the other side had not been able to defend against the charges.

The Assistant to my Attorney, the Airline Attorneys and Roberto packed up, and dashed out of the courtroom without a glance in our direction. Carol, Fran, John and I were still sitting there, and Carol said, “What just happened?” We were all stunned. I never got a bill for the $4,500.00 that I owed to my Attorney, and we never saw him nor heard from him again. Most people, however, were not surprised. It’s hard to sue a large corporation with deep pockets. And, at that time, sexual harassment was not taken very seriously.

So, what about Roberto? My next door neighbor, Dorothy, worked for the Airline as Director of Crew Housing, and knew everything that happened at the airline. She had worked there for years. She said that Roberto was becoming very erratic and during a training session on “hostage taking,” he had pulled out his gun and said he didn’t need training because he had “this.” It was illegal to have guns in any kind of training situation. He was arrested, then released and was not fired.

Then apparently drugs were found inside the paneling of an aircraft after he had worked a trip from Puerto Rico, his home of origin. Word got around that he was supplying drugs to some crew members as well as others in upper management.

There were suddenly a lot of firings. Dorothy said that the people involved in my firing were all fired, except for Roberto. The VP who had been on my flight in first class on the fatal night, was demoted and transferred. Then the news came that Roberto had suddenly dropped dead in the isle while working a flight to Hawaii.

Roberto’s reign of oppression was over. His harassment of female Flight Attendants had gone on for many years, since he started flying as a young man and now was over 50 years old. I was told that his file at the Flight Attendant Union was thick with complaints, but he was slippery and no one had dared challenge him. Also, if he was the supplier of drugs, especially cocaine, he literally had them in the palm of his hand.

The other Portuguese speaking flight attendants whom I had helped hire, continued on the job and some still fly today. I was the only casualty of the threats that we would be taken down one by one. If I had gone away quietly, the others would have been next, as was discussed in the first episode of “Flying down to Rio.”

Well, that’s the end of the story of my brief adventure into the world of flying. I must say, there was never a dull moment!

I was knocked off my feet with the sudden firing from my job as an International Flight Attendant travelling the Dallas – Rio de Janeiro route.

I had been a valuable asset to the company in the hiring of Portuguese speaking candidates, had worked with Charlie R., the Head of the Training Department for about six months prior to becoming a Flight Attendant myself. I translated their in-flight announcement videos, such as the evacuation video, and also did the voice-overs in Portuguese. The administration was thrilled with my work, and they were getting hundreds of passenger letters praising my performance on flights once I started flying to Rio.

I was known by almost all the management of the Airline, who at one time or another would be on one of my flights. I worked mostly First Class. I was on the fast track to be promoted, possibly running the Brazilian end of things. As Charlie would say, being a Flight Attendant was just the first part of the process.

So, how could a false accusation by a man who had a habit of threatening new flight attendants and sexually harassing them, lead to a “no questions asked” immediate firing? I had no answers, and my morale was extremely low. The best thing was to get away and take advantage of Mauro’s suggestion about living in Rio. Also, I wanted to see Mauro again. We had barely started our relationship when I was fired from my job and would not be flying to Rio anymore.

Several months later, I was on a Brazilian airline, Varig, flying back to Rio. Mauro was waiting for me at the airport and it was heavenly to see him. He was even more handsome than I remembered. I stayed with Jane, the cousin of a friend of mine from Brazil, who lives in Dallas, until I could find a place within my budget. Jane and I became great friends.

Mauro helped look for apartments, but really wanted me to stay in an apartment that he owned while I was living in Rio, however, it was way above what I could afford. Finally I found a small one bedroom apartment on the sixth floor of a building about 4 blocks from Copacabana Beach. The rent was $200 a month, with maid service twice a week! I signed on the spot.

Mauro wasn’t with me that day, and I didn’t know that he was extremely fearful of heights and elevators. I wanted to show him my new place, and on the way up on the elevator he started shaking and sweating. By the time we got to my apartment he was white as a sheet and could barely breath. I felt terrible for him and soon found out that he had lots of phobias and fears.

The next revelation was that Mauro finally admitted to me that he was married, but officially separated. Because divorce was difficult in Brazil, many couples did this. It’s called a “desquite.” Neither party can re-marry and this arrangement also works well when there are children involved. I hadn’t known that Mauro had a son. Our romance had never gotten far enough for an intimate relationship, so I told him that it was best that we remain “just friends.” I did not want to be his “amante,” lover, or kept woman. This is not what a man wants to hear and we never saw each other again. I heard later that he was having serious health problems and that he had gone back to his wife.

Then I met a guy, who was not married, at Copacabana beach, José Neto, and we started dating. He was a model and therefore did not work all the time, so we had lots of fun together sightseeing, eating out, going to the beach. He was the definition of a “gentleman.” José introduced me to a singer named Paulo Gran Bell, and we started performing at different events and in several night clubs. It was fun and also helped with the cash flow.

One day I was at the Rio Palace and one of the managers told me that a celebrity from Texas was coming to Rio and would be staying there. He wondered if I would accept the job to be her interpreter and guide during her stay. Her name was Iola Johnson and I had watched her newscasts for years! She had recently quit the news station to move on to other things. I was delighted to be asked to do this. We met and right away hit it off. She spent a couple of weeks in Rio, and it was interesting, because American tourists who saw her, instantly recognized her and her famous voice.

She was a beautiful person, both on the outside as well as on the inside. On the back of this picture, she wrote: “Sandi é ótima! You’re the best thing in Rio. I wish you only the very best!” Iola.

Soon after Iola left, one of my flight attendant friends, Dee, called with the news that the airline had shut down the Dallas-Rio route, and no more flights would be coming down to Rio. She needed a favor from me. She asked that I go to the Rio Palace and get her suitcase which she always left there for her layovers. She only wanted her wristwatch and a couple of earrings. She said that I could give away the rest of her things.

Dee had travelled the entire world for years as a Flight Attendant and when she was in Rio, after I was fired, we would go out together. She was a rather eccentric person. She told me to give the “baby powder” to a very special person. I thought this was rather odd, but knowing Dee I didn’t think much about it. So, I sat out in front of the hotel and gave away all her things, including the Johnson Baby Powder.

Later she called to ask who I had given the baby powder to. I inquired about her obsession with baby powder and she said, “you didn’t know? That was pure cocaine.” She said that she and some of the other Flight Attendants did cocaine a lot during trips to stay awake. I was completely flabbergasted because I never suspected a thing during our trips, except for the fact that I wondered how they could go for three days without sleeping hardly at all. I was always exhausted after flying all night and had to sleep for a while. They would change clothes and were off to the beach or somewhere else.

I was very angry about the event, because had the police been around, I could have been arrested! I also was worried that if someone had used the “baby powder” on a baby, what could happen? I asked several doctors and they assured me that it wouldn’t hurt the baby.

After about six months in Rio, I was homesick and decided to go back to Texas. I missed pizza and Mexican food. I never felt completely at home in Rio. I had friends, but didn’t “fit in” since I was single, and was treated by some people like a rich American, which I wasn’t! I was down to my last penny. I felt alone and a bit disillusioned. José was surprised that I was leaving, but I promised I would write.

I boarded the plane and before I knew it, we were landing on American soil, in Texas.

The story does not end here. I sued the airline for sexual harassment, and found out “the rest of the story!” What happened to Roberto? Did he get away with it again and again? Why was he so powerful? There are answers in Part 4 of my story.

I had been an International Flight attendant, flying down to Rio, for about seven months and had one month of probation left. The crew members with whom I had become friends had warned me about a guy named Roberto, who flew trips as the number 1 Flight Attendant, which meant that he was in charge of all of the Attendants on his flight. I was told that he had the habit of threatening new female Flight Attendants with reporting them for breaking the rules.

According to my friends, one thing he would accuse them of was “sleeping on the job.” The flights lasted 10 hours, we flew all night, and it was paramount that we not sit down at any time and take a nap. We all knew this rule and would never risk such behavior.

I don’t remember the date, but I arrived at the airport to check in for my flight and the famed Roberto introduced himself and said that he was the No. 1 Flight Attendant on this trip. He seemed vey nice at first. He spoke English with a heavy Spanish accent and was extremely flirty. He put is arm around me and said, “Roberto will take care of you. It’s OK for you to take a nap, and I will cover for you.” I told him that I knew the rules and would definitely not take a nap, even with his permission. I was working first class that night and the Vice-President of the airline was a passenger in my area. There was also a pilot, John P., who was deadheading to Rio, and would be flying the plane back to the U. S.

After the meal service and the movie, and the passengers were sleeping, John and I had several chats. He was studying Portuguese and would ask me questions about pronunciation and the meaning of words. I never sat down, but would stop next to his seat. In the galley, Roberto continued his flirting and had his hands all over me. It was very close quarters but it was clear that he was taking advantage of the situation.

I was relieved when we finally arrived in Rio and I saw Mauro, the TV personality and reporter who I mentioned in Part I, waiting for me. As we were getting off the crew bus, Roberto approached me and said; “Call me later, I need talk to you. You must come to my room.”

Mauro noticed how Roberto was talking to me and asked what it was about. I told him about Roberto’s actions on the trip, and he was very mad. However, we forgot all about the frustrating situation and Mauro and I had a great time during the layover, as we usually did. There was so much to do and see in Rio and it was all so romantic. Everyone knew Mauro and I felt extremely special being at his side.

I avoided Roberto like the plague, and did not call him. Several times he saw Mauro and me together, and also saw him kiss me goodbye before we left on the bus for the airport. When we were on the plane going home, Roberto accosted me in the galley and was screaming, “Yu fuckeen beech, you deedn’t call me, I rreport yu, I see yu sleeep on trrip.” His accent got really bad when he was angry.

I was visibly upset, and told one of the senior flight attendants about the threats and she said not to worry, that Roberto never followed thorough with any of his threats, but that I should report the incident to my supervisor when we arrived in Dallas, which I did. The next day I was called in and fired. That was it, I had taken my last trip. I was incredulous. There was no appeal because I was still on probation.

I called Mauro and told him what had happened, and that I wouldn’t be coming back to Rio. He said that it was all for the best, because now I could come to live in Rio. I said I’d stay in touch by phone until something could be resolved, and that I would think about his suggestion. During every phone conversation he insisted that I come right away and that he loved me.

I made an appointment to talk to the Vice-President of the airline, who had been on board the night of the incident. He had complimented me after the trip on my excellent demeanor, professionalism and service. He had told me how grateful the airline was to have me as an employee, and that he could see promotions in my future.

Our meeting went nowhere. He was friendly, but said his hands were tied. He suggested that I meet with the President of the airline and also contact the pilot who had been on board. I followed his advice and contacted John and he wrote a letter to the President, and copied me, about his conversations with me during the trip and that he could see the seat that Roberto had accused me of sitting in and sleeping, and that at no time did this happen.

The President met with me, and said that he would investigate the matter. Later I received a letter in which he said that they hated to lose me, but that I was still on probation and that I could not be reinstated.

I decided to move to Rio, as Mauro had suggested.

Continued in Part 3: Would the relationship with Mauro last? What would happen to the Dallas-Rio de Janeiro route? A female American celebrity and I would become friends when she came to Rio, a dangerous situation involving drugs (not mine!)…

In 1982 I was contracted by a major airline to help in the hiring of Portuguese speakers to become Flight Attendants for the new Dallas-Rio de Janeiro route. In the process I was hired to be a Flight Attendant myself. About 100 applicants came from all over the country and only 50 had all the qualifications to enter training, but this was no guarantee that they would be hired. Many had given up jobs and some had driven from all parts of the U. S. to Dallas, once they were notified that they had been approved for the training program.

The 6-week/7 day per week training was excruciatingly hard and every day one or two of people would disappear from class. They had been told to pack their bags and leave without saying goodbye to the rest of us.

No one knew what the criteria was for not being able to complete the training, except that we had to make no less than a score of 100 on all Exams, and we took several of them each day.

During the 5th week, my training partner, Elizabeth, was sent home. She had been a Flight Attendant with Braniff before the airline went bankrupt. She spoke Portuguese and Spanish and had flown for years all over South America, including Brazil. I contacted her to ask why she had not made it, and she said that in her evaluation she was told that she did not “smile enough during evacuation exercises.”

I was one of the survivors of the cuts and graduation was so exciting! I couldn’t believe that I had a job flying back to my hometown, Rio de Janeiro.

Almost immediately, however, I heard that the “senior” flight attendants resented the “newbies” because we got the most coveted travel route, only because we spoke Portuguese. The word was out that they were going to get us fired, one by one, starting with the oldest, me! Due to my seniority, I got first choice in scheduling my trips and this was resented by the seasoned flight attendants who wanted to be able to travel to Rio, but had less opportunities to do this because they didn’t speak Portuguese.

The flight attendant crews had to be 50-50, “speakers and non-speakers.” The Portuguese speakers got to work the isles, whereas the others had to work in the galley with food preparation, setting up the carts, cleaning up and so on. The excitement about flying to Rio, dissipated quickly with the rough treatment we received from our senior crew members. We had 8 months of probation and could be fired “without cause” during this time.

The good part of the job was that we had 2 and 3 – day layovers in Rio! I became friends with the some of the senior flight attendants and several of the pilots, who loved to hang out with me on our layovers. Due to the fact that I had grown up there and was a tall Portuguese speaking blonde, I was very popular everywhere we went. We always got preferential treatment, the best tables, service, in fact we were treated like celebrities. My new friends assured me that they would “have my back” and that my job would be safe.

I loved being in Rio again. It was more beautiful than I remembered. We had great times during our layovers, sunning on Ipanema beach, sight seeing in the most beautiful city in the world, dancing in Clubs, eating out at the best restaurants…the exchange for the Brazilian “cruzado” was about 10/1 dollars, which meant that we could eat at the Churrascarias, Brazilian Steak Houses, for about $5.00 a person. The crews thought that Rio was the most exciting and romantic city in the world.

The pilots could not get over how beautiful Brazilian women were. There eyes would pop out of their heads, there was so much to see on the beaches. The women wore the tiniest of bikinis, with just a string in the back, and their “bundas,” booties, were beautiful.

There was plenty of “eye candy” for the women as well. Brazilian men would exercise on the beach, play volleyball and “futevolei,” which is a mixture between volleyball and soccer. Everyone had a “natural tan,” due to the mixture of races, and were called the “beautiful people.”

On one of the trips I met a man who was known as the “Brazilian Johnny Carson,” because he had a late night TV talk show, was silver-haired and very good looking. He started meeting us when we would arrive at the Rio Palace Hotel on Ipanema Beach, where we stayed on our layovers, and would escort me and some from “my group” all over Rio. I also got to go to his show one night.

A romance began between us and this made flying down to Rio even more exciting. Those were the days…until about seven months later, I met Roberto, who was the head flight attendant on one of my trips.

What is the soul? I found this definition on Google. “The soul is the self, the “I” that inhabits the body and acts through it. Without the soul, the body is like a light bulb without electricity, a computer without the software, a space suit with no astronaut inside.”

This is not a religious definition, but I think that it explains that without the soul, the body would be zombie-like. Many movies, games, TV shows, etc., depict these strange soulless creatures, the undead. There have been very popular shows recently about people who have returned from the dead, such as The Returned, and Resurrection. It seems that some people like to imagine that we can return to this life, rather than the idea that our soul moves on to a better place after death.

Is there any evidence of the soul? For example, does the soul have a weight? On April 10, 1901, an unusual experiment was conducted in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Dr. Duncan MacDougall was going to prove that the human soul had mass, and was therefore, measurable. I find this pretty amazing. The 21 gram theory. After this experiment, Dr. MacDougall was planning to photograph the soul leaving the body, but he died before being able to pursue this goal.

Most of us wonder if there is life after death. Does our soul leave our body at the time of death and travel to another destination?

All religions have their interpretation of Heaven. There are those, however, who do not participate in any religious beliefs. Atheists, for example, disbelieve or lack belief in the existence of God or gods. Agnostics are people who claim neither faith nor disbelief in God. Some religions believe the soul reincarnates and that we live life after life for eternity, or until we finally “get it right.” And now the worship of the Devil himself is a growing phenomenon. The Bible refers to the Devil and Hell and the final battle between good and evil.

No one will know the answer about an afterlife until they die. That’s where faith enters the picture. I have had many questions throughout my life. I was raised by missionary parents, in Brazil, and there I saw extraordinary changes in people who had no belief system, or were very superstitious, and when they converted to a belief in their salvation through Jesus Christ, their lives changed completely in a miraculous manner.

I have always believed in my salvation, that my soul will go to Heaven and there I will see the face of God. I accepted Christ as my Savior and was baptized when I was in Brazil.

However, I have not lived a perfect life. I have committed just about every sin listed in the Bible. When my mother died of cancer in 1973, I rebelled totally against God and no longer believed that living a good life, as she had, would in any way protect us from enormous suffering. As a matter of fact, I decided that I’d rather have nothing to do with God.

The good news for me is that God didn’t forget about me. He was always there, watching over me and protecting me even when I was engaging in behaviors that could have killed me. He is a God of second, third, fourth and even more chances and I was definitely the “prodigal daughter.”

I can only tell you what I believe. I believe that Christ, the son of God, came to the Earth and died for our sins. The only requirement for eternal life is faith, to believe that salvation comes through Christ and this is a gift from God, the father, and our sins are forgiven. There are no other requirements other than “belief and faith.”

John 3:16 – King James version: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

A current news story, Message in a bottle found 40 years later., reminded me of the time when my family and I were travelling from the U. S. back to Brazil on a ship. It took two weeks at sea before arriving in Rio de Janeiro. We started the trip in New Orleans. I was thirteen at the time, and there were about ten other girls and no boys in our age range on this trip.

During the two weeks at sea, we exhausted all of our options for diversion and finally one girl suggested that we write notes with our names and addresses and put them in bottles to throw overboard. I don’t know if all of the girls did this, but I excitedly performed the task.

We finally arrived back at our home in Rio, and I watched the mail everyday for about a month. I imagined the romantic event of a young man finding my note and writing to me. Possibly my soul mate? After a while I stopped looking for a letter and completely forgot about the incident with the passing of time.

When I was fifteen years old, one day Dad came home from work with a letter for me, addressed by a Domingo Sanes Garcia in Puerto Rico. It didn’t dawn on me until I opened it and read the note, that my bottle had washed up on a beach in San Juan Bay!

According to his letter, Domingo was a 21 year old man who was in the Army and spoke English, German and Spanish. He was home on leave and was fishing when he saw the bottle. He had been born in Puerto Rico, was not married, and had traveled to many places around the world. He asked me to send him a picture and said he would write again and also send me a picture.

Dad did not want me to write to him or send a photo. He was worried about Domingo’s age. I had dreams that I would meet Domingo, maybe he could come to Rio for a visit! We would fall in love and I would go to live in Puerto Rico with him. It was not unusual in those times in Brazil for a girl almost 16 years old to marry a man who was 21.

This would be the perfect romance and proof that he was my soul mate, due to the unusual circumstances of our connection. I wrote a letter, included the picture below, and gave it to Dad to mail. I’m the blonde, second from the left.

I waited and waited and Domingo never responded. Dad said that he had sent the letter but I suspect till this day that he didn’t.

Some of my friends thought that Domingo was probably married and couldn’t write back.

In those days we didn’t have the internet, so I couldn’t look him up. I have googled his name, out of curiosity, but with no results. I guess it was the perfect teenage romance. Only in my dreams!

My mother died on February 23, 1973. Mother’s Day has always been very hard because I was so close to her and loved her deeply. When I found out that she had cancer and was going to die, I died inside and spent many years in deep depression, alone and without a close family. She was the one who had kept us all together.

She also gives advice about Rich, who became my second husband, discussed in Walking on eggs.

As I read the letter, with tears flowing down my face, I realized how right she had been. I should have followed her loving advice.

Here are some excerpts from the letter, regarding my trip to Paris and about Rich, the man I married on the rebound from Steve.

“Dearest Sandra, We were so happy to receive your letter! It sounds like you are having a lovely time and Steve sounds very nice and happy. I love the part about the whistling.” (I had told her that Steve, who never showed much emotion, had said that he was so happy, that he “caught himself whistling on the way home from work!”)

“I’m glad you went – the situation here was wonderful, only in that we had you close to us.” (She, my father and sister had returned from Brazil for Mom’s treatment for cancer.)

“But I could never be happy even with you living next door with someone putting you down in front of friends and acquaintances, considering you stupid because you didn’t peal vegetables fast, picking fights with men who looked at you in parking lots, yelling at women drivers. and leaving you in a restaurant because he thought the waiter was flirting with you and any number of things which are completely unreasonable.

There is no way to assume things would grow better. And these things were not because of the threat of Steve, because Rich grew worse as the possibilities for him in your relationship improved. This is just his personality and I’m sorry for him for losing you, but on the other hand it would be equally hard or harder for Steve to lose you now, so you must think of your happiness. You and Steve have mutual friends in St. Louis whom you both enjoy, and you naturally can be proud of one another.

I’m sure the symphony could grow boring now and then, but not as much as spending weekends with Rich and his friends! This sounds like I’m all for Steve. which I can’t say is exactly true, since I don’t know him well, but since I do know Rich well, all the reports on Steve sound like a much gayer and healthier life… (Gay had a different connotation then.)…and much more possibilities for lasting happiness. Obviously Steve is in love with you.”

“Love is more than being attracted to someone. It’s mutual respect also. Rich doesn’t have this for you, and you couldn’t have it for him. Even if you don’t marry Steve I think it would be a real sad mistake to marry Rich. He did come over the other day, crying, and admitted that it was all his fault and that he couldn’t bear losing you. Dad felt sorry for him and gave him your address in Paris. Just remember everything that has happened in case he does write to you!

We saw Paris on the news last night (in connection with the Peace Talks, ) and every one was all bundled up in over coats, and it looked like perhaps snow was on the ground!?… so I’m glad for your good warm coat and boots. It’s nice to know the exact time difference because I can think about you better. I go to bed around 10:30 or 11 and am sure you are in bed asleep (4:30 or 5 a.m. there!) When I get up, I know it’s already mid afternoon there and when we are having lunch, Steve has probably just gotten home. We are so anxious to hear more, hoping a letter will come tomorrow.

We love you dearly, Mother.”

Dearest Mom:

Another Mother’s Day will come and go without you. I’ve missed you terribly all these years, but having a mother like you has made up for the time we lost. I know that Dad is now with you. Sheila gave me your violin after Dad died. I cherish having it, and can still hear the beautiful sounds of your playing.

Two TV series that I watch are Shark Tank and Dancing with the stars. It seems that Robert Herjavec, my favorite Shark, has fallen in love with his partner Kim Johnson on DWTS. It is clearly mutual!

I’ve always loved to dance. Having grown up in Brazil, how can you not dance? People dance everywhere, in the streets, on the beach, there is live music in cafes and restaurants, guitar players and singers roam the beaches performing. The atmosphere is electric and very romantic. You feel “love in the air.”

As I mentioned in my blog – It is well with my soul – my ex-husband Ivo and I loved to dance and we fell in love on the dance floor. The first night we met, in a Club in Dallas, we danced for hours and that is where we shared our first kiss. When we were in Brazil we danced all night, three nights in a row, at a Club during Carnival. And, we danced on the beach in the moonlight.

Dancing is good for the body and the soul. Even in the Bible, King David danced before God to show his gratitude. (2 Samuel 6:14)

As Martha Graham stated, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” The following video is from the movie “Scent of a Woman.” Al Pacino plays a General, who is blind. This moving scene from the movie exemplifies the quote by Martha Graham.

“Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage, this I tell ya brother, you can’t have one without the other!”

This is a great song made famous by Frank Sinatra. But, is love and marriage an old fashioned idea? Some say “till death do us part” is impossible today because we live much longer lives. Or, there is too much temptation in our world today to even contemplate marriage.

Many young people say they don’t plan to ever marry and believe that it’s fine to have children out of wedlock. Also, I think that young women have fallen for several bad ideas which do not lead to marriage, such as friends with benefits,hooking upand one night stands ,” among others.

It is interesting that gays are seeking laws that permit them to marry, while heterosexuals are believing in marriage less and less as time goes on. Could it be that we always want what is hard to get? Or, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?”